Film strip

ABSTRACT

Sensitized and unsensitized transparent film material in sprocket-hole punched form is provided together with means to indicate the area encompassed by a frame such that the film material can then be utilized in still projection devices. In one preferred embodiment a sheet of film material is formed with a plurality of sprocket-hole punched strips separated from each other by perforations in the sheet.

United States Patent 1191 Smukler July 31, 1973 [54] FILM STRIP1,255,338 2/1918 Rearick 352/241 [76] Inventor: Karen B- Smuk e 5450Fcnwood 3,284,923 11/1966 Leslie 353/26 Ave., Woodland Hills, Calif91364 Primary Examiner Louis R. Prince [22] Filed: July 29, 1970Assistant Examiner-A. J. Mirabito [2]] Appl No 58 897 Attorney-Sokolski& Wohlgemuth 57 ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl. 353/120 I 51' 1111. C1. G03b 21/00Sensmzed and ""Sensltlzed "ansparem film mater'al [58] Field of Search353/120 122 30 P Punched is Pmvided mgethe' with 353/31 40/106 1.250/652 k means to indicate the area encompassed by a frame such thatthe film material can then be utilized in still [56] References Citedprojection devices. In one preferred embodiment a UNITED STATES PATENTSsheet of film material is formed with a plurality of 2 l 6 209 11/1938 Fh 353/15 sprocket-hole punched strips separated from each 3 inc the brfo tio in the Sh Ch 1,984,264 12/1934 Gualtierotti 352/241 0 r y pe rans 6 1,318,610 10/1919 Serenisky 352/241 2 Claims, 4 Drawing FiguresPATENIEB JUL 3 1 ma \NVENTOR. KAREN B. SMUK ATTORNEYS BY Scans WOHWEMUTHN; ji

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FIG.

FILM STRIP BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Thisinvention is in the field of transparent film material. Moreparticularly the invention relates to transparent film material which isadaptable for film strip applications in still projection devices.

2. Description of the Prior Art Still projection devices are widelyutilized in the educational field as an important visual aid forinstruc-' tional purposes. Of particular interest are the projectiondevices utilizing what is known as film strips which are prepared stripsof film; for example, 35mm or the like, that are fed through theprojection devices at a controlled rate by the teacher where a series ofinformational images and the like can be projected on to a screen orwall in the classroom.

The previous film strips utilized have been preprinted or preimaged. Theteacher or librarian would then select from the available materialthrough the utilization of catalogs and the like films for a school orclassroom library. Prepared films are relatively expensive and, ofcourse, are limited to what is available and the information that hasbeen preprinted thereon. This greatly limits the flexibility in theteaching approach utilizing the film strips.

Further, where the film strips are stored in the central file acomplicated checkout and return procedure is necessitated, particularlysince the strips are relatively expensive. An average school might onlyhave one film strip on the same subject.

Another disadvantage of the preimaged film strips is that the teachercannot readily mark them up through the use of a crayon or othersuitable marker where it would be particularly desired to emphasize oramend any portion of an educational film strip. Thus, it can beappreciated that the instructor is extremely limited in both theselection and manipulation of film strips presently available.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The herein invention is directed to materialwhereby a teacher or other user can create their own film strip images.The film strip as indicated is pre-punched film of a width sufficient topass through and be operated by a given projector. The herein inventionis directed to providing prepunched film strip material of eithersensitized or unsensitized film, together with indicia in the form offrame outlines on the film itself or preferably on a separate sheet toindicate the size of each frame on the strip. The teacher can thencreate an individual film strip by writing, printing or typing materialin the frame spaces provided or indicated.

In one preferred embodiment of this invention the film is in the formofa flat sheet divided into a plurality of film strips separated fromeach other by perforations so they can be easily removed from the flatsheet after imaging. Cooperating with the flat sheet is a backing sheethaving an outline of the given frames for the film strip. In thesensitized film embodiment the user would then write or type thematerial in the frames on the backing sheet and run the backing sheetthrough a reproducing machine together with the sensitized film toproduce a desired end product with the material imprinted on the film.The individual film strips would then be separated from the flat sheetby tearing along the perforations.

The same concept can also be utilized where the frames are preprinted onthe film particularly in the unsensitized form of film. The teacherwould then write or type directly on the film itself without the use ofa backing sheet. Instead of a flat sheet a continuous roll of parallelfilm strips separated by perforation can be provided so that continuouslengths of material can be easily formed. In another embodiment of theinvention, a single film strip can be provided with indicia of the framesizes in the form of backing sheet or affixed directly to the film.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a pictorial representationof a sprocket-hole punched, flat film strip sheet of the inventiontogether with a background frame guide sheet.

FIG. 2 is a pictorial representation of a sprocket-hole punched, flatfilm strip sheet of the invention having preprinted frame outlines onthe transparent material.

FIG. 3 is a pictorial representation of a continuous sheet ofsprocket-hole punched film strip material of the invention in roll form.

FIG. 4 is a pictorial representation of a single lane of thesprocket-hole punched film strip material of this invention in rollform.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The transparent films of theinvention can be either sensitized or unsensitized materials. Variousarrangements of the film strips as shown in the drawings and to bedescribed herein will lend themselves more particularly to one or theother general type of film, while as will be pointed out, the samearrangement can be utilized in many instances, either the sensitized orunsensitized films.

The preferred unsensitized films are either matte surfaced, having atoothy, pencil-taking layer such as, for example, the matte surfacedrafting films, including Stabilene film manufactured by Keuffel & EsserCompany, or the Bruning Acetate Matte Film, manufactured by the BruningDivision of Addressograph- Multigraph Corp., or smooth surfaced, havinga finish designed especially for ink notations. Other unsensitized filmmaterials within the scope of this invention include scribe surfacefilm, such as Keuffel and Essers Scribe Coat," and film suitable for usein Xerox machines, such as Arkwright Xerographic film.

The sensitized films are made by some of the same I foregoingmanufacturers and many others and can be of either the diazo,photographic, vesicular, thermographic, or other light, heat, orpressure-sensitive varieties. A popular type of film which can be usedin accordance with the concept of this invention is 3M Company'sThermofax film material which is a heat sensitive film that can beprocessed through a 3M Secretary copier. A typical example of a diazolightsensitive film is Keuffel and Essers Helios" film, which isprocessed through a diazo printing machine. Another example oflight-sensitive film materials which fulfill the concept of thisinvention is DuPonts Cronaflex line of engineering drawing films. Theseinclude contact and projection speed photographic film products suppliedin various thicknesses and with different surface textures for pencil orink notation.

A still further example of sensitized film materials which might bepunched and perforated in accordance with the concept of this inventionis Kalvar film, a lightexposed, heat-developing film which depends forits opacity upon the formation of microscopic bubbles trappedpermanently within the emulsion layer of the film during the developmentstep.

The purpose of the invention is to enable a user to make and createtheir own film strips in an inexpensive and expeditious manner. Theadvantages of the invention will thus become relatively apparent fromthe following description, where reference is first had to theembodiment shown in FIG. 1, there is seen a transparent film sheet 11which has been divided into a series of parallel strips 13 divided fromeach other by perforated lines 15. Each strip 13 is preformed withsprocket holes 17 so that it can be accommodated with a projectiondevice made for advancing film strips. The width of the strips 13together with the spacing of the sprocket holes 17 would be determinedby the size of film strips desired. Where the film sheet 11 is ofsensitized material, it will be of such dimension that it can be readilyused in a reproduction machine or copier for the type of film used.

In that embodiment of the invention which particularly lends itself tothe utilization of sensitized film, the perforated sheet of film 1 1 isattached at one end 19 by means of adhesive and a perforated tail line21 to a backing sheet 23 which has a plurality of frames 25 imprintedthereon corresponding to the frames in the film which once again dependupon the size of the film being used. Obviously it is important to theuser in creating a film strip to be able to determine the size of thegiven frame. In the embodiment of FIG. 1 the user in the case of asensitized film 11 will write or print the desired information withinthe individual frames 25 on the backing sheet 23. The backing sheet andthe film 11 will then be run through a copier concurrently to transferthe image to the film. The two will then be separated and the film 11 beprocessed in the copier such that the images printed within the frames25 will then become imprinted on the film strips 13, in a propersequence and properly spaced from each other. The frames 25 on thebacking sheet 23 in the case of sensitized film can be a color thatwould not be transmitted in the copy machine such as light blue, and thelike, and thus the frame outline would not be imprinted in the resultingfilmstrip. Obviously, the same backing sheet 23 can be used repeatedly.

' In the present embodiment of FIG. 1, where the film 11 is of anunsensitized material, then the frames 25 will be used as a backgroundsuch that the user can write or print directly on the film 11 within theindividual areas denoted by the frames. After imprintation directly onthe film 11, the film sheet can then be removed and individual filmstrips utilized.

Thus, it can be appreciated in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the useroften will not have enough frames in a single strip 14 to generate allthe information required or desired if a continuous film strip isrequired utilizing more than one strip 13. Then the adjacent strip formcan be spliced together utilizing conventional film splicing techniquesor the continuous long strip may be provided. Alternatively, of course,the strips can be individually in sequence fed through the projectionmachine without any significant decrease in effectiveness.

The use of arrangement as shown in FIG. 1 enables one to insert thebacking sheet, for example, in a typewriter by merely separating it froma film sheet prior to processing so that information can be typed on itwithin the frames 25. Additionally, the use of the flat sheetarrangement enables the materials to be readily packaged, or stored in acompact manner.

Further, and of importance where sensitized film 11 is used, the sheetarrangement shown enables the user to readily process the film throughconventional copy machines designed for the reproduction of material onsuch film and the like. Most schools today, for example, possess filmand reproduction, or copy equipment such as, Xerographic, diazo,thermographic, or photographic devices, required for reproducing onsheets of film which, in turn, may be utilized in overhead filmprojectors. Thus, the school or other facility has the basic equipmentrequired to readily reproduce the information from the back sheet 23 onto the sensitized film 11, or to unsensitized film 11 in the case ofXerographic copiers. This invention therefore extends the capabilitiesof educational institutions so they may now quickly and economicallyprepare their own film strips as well, using existing reprographicequipment.

It should be apparent that the backing sheet 23 in no way has to beattached to the film sheet 11 as shown, which is merely for conveniencepurpose only. A rigid alignment is needed when the film sheet 11 isunsensitized and writing is made directly on the film. However, wherethe film 11 is sensitized, the backing sheet 23 can be preparedobviously completely independent of the film. It must only be coalignedwith the film when run through the copy machine to transfer the image tothe film. In the embodiment shown six film strips are provided on thesheet. This is by way of example only and obviously depending upon thesize film desired and the dimensions of film sheet 11 the number ofstrips can be subject to wide variation.

Turning now to FIG. 2, there is seen an embodiment that is particularlyuseful for unsensitized film. As shown a sheet of film 27 has sprocketholes 29 and is perforated with line 31 in an identical manner to sheet1 1 shown in FIG. 1. In fact, the sheets can be identical. Thedifference between the two embodiments is that the sheet 27 of FIG. 2has imprinted thereon a plurality of framed outlines 33. The informationfor the film strips would then be imprinted on the film sheet 27 withinthe frames 33 directly by theuser through the use of markers,typewriters, or the like. It should now be relatively apparent that inorder to formulate a film strip the user must know the number and sizeof the frames along the stripto be produced. Thus, it is required, andas shown as part of this invention, that the frame size and spacing beindicated to the user prior to imprinting the information on the filmstrip to be produced.

The advantages of flat sheets are given above. Continuous sheeting inthe form of rolls can be utilized as seen by the sheet 35 of FIG. 3. Asshown in FIG. 3, the sheet 35 is the same as the material in FIG. 2,that is, a film having frames imprinted thereon. However, a backingarrangement can be utilized where a film and a backing sheet can beinterleaved, that is, rolled up together. In other words, thecombination of FIG. 1 can be provided in a continuous sheet or roll formsimilar to that shown in FIG. 3. Utilizing the roll concept the user cancut a film strip to desired length and thus not be limited to the lengthof the flat sheet. Where the film 35 is of sensitized material and thebacking sheet is uti lized, then the most important criteria thatremains is the width 37 of the web so that the duplex roll can bereadily fed into the conventional openings of a copy machine. In such acontinuous feed type machine the film can thus be of virtually anylength and reproduction of the information from the backing sheet to thefilm can transpire.

FIG. 4 depicts a single roll of a film strip 39 which dif- 10 jectingsaid film.

fers from other film strips in that it is blank and the difference fromnormal film is that frame indicia 41 are provided along its length bymeans of imprintation, or

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said backing sheet is affixed atan end thereof to said film.

1. A transparent film having parallel rows of spaced apart sprocketholes formed therein and a backing sheet having a plurality of framesprinted thereon for indicating areas between said sprocket holesencompassed by a single frame of a projection device for projecting saidfilm.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said backing sheet isaffixed at an end thereof to said film.